Obama paid his first visit as president to an American mosque on Wednesday when he sat down with Islamic leaders at the Islamic Society of Baltimore. He then addressed the country, talking about fears held by Muslim Americans.

“We’re one American family, and when any part of our family feels second-class...it tears at the fabric of our nation," Obama said. “This is a moment when, as Americans, we have to truly listen to each other and learn from each other.”

The visit was seen as a direct rebuke to some of the GOP's campaign trail rhetoric, such as when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called in December for a ban on Muslims coming to the United States.

“You’ve seen too often people conflating these acts of terrorism with the beliefs of an entire faith," Obama said. “We've heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslims that has no place in our country.”

He also talked about the basic tenets of Islam, which he said he believes many in the United States are not familiar with.

“The very word for Islam comes from salaam, peace," Obama said. “Whoever wants to enter paradise, the Prophet Muhammad taught, let him treat people the way he would want to be treated.”

And the president sought to show the ties between Islam and America. The oldest surviving mosque in the U.S., he said, is in Iowa. The mosque he stood in has been a part of Baltimore for more than 50 years.

There's no doubt, he said, that a small sect of the world's Muslims are hellbent on terrorism and destruction. But extremism in all religious groups is nothing new, and such extremism doesn't represent the feelings of Muslims as a bloc. Many of them, he said, are actively fighting it.

Ultimately, Obama questioned the seriousness of America's commitment to freedom of religion. Jews, Mormons, Catholics and others have been attacked at different times in American history. The nation hasn't always stood by its constitutional values, he said.

"We have to be consistent in condemning hateful rhetoric and violence against everyone, and that includes Muslims here in the United States of America," Obama said. "None of us can be silent. We can't be bystanders to bigotry."

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